Roundabout Pre-School

Newsletter

January 2017

Thank you to all the parents who filled in and returned their questionnaires – we are always looking to improve as a setting and value your opinion!!

I would however like to take this opportunity to point out that only 38% of our families returned their questionnaires, which was a little disappointing.

Firstly, as manager and part of the staff team I am extremely proud that every returned questionnaire was ticked strongly agree or agree when asked if ‘My child is happy at pre-school’. That is our main goal – to have happy children who can then go on to learn and develop. Also, every family stated that they were happy with the service we provide.

I wanted to raise a few points after reading your questionnaire:

A common theme from the questionnaires was that parents/carers were unsure where the parent notice board is. The notice board is located in the cloakroom on the right hand side as you enter pre-school. The notice board has an updated weekly wall planner (so that parents can see what our planning for the week is, although this is added to throughout the week), a key person/child list, an example daily routine and any other relevant information for the time. I attempt to update the notice board regularly with things that I hope will interest you. You will also find ‘speech bubbles’ on the noticeboard, please use these to tell us about anything your child has been up to or would like to share at group times.

Alongside the parent notice board are photos and descriptions of all our practitioners, as well as their job titles and qualifications.

This leads me to another common problem identified in the questionnaire – the cloakroom! In all honesty it’s something that we are stuck with at Roundabout. We rent the building from Newlaithes School and are therefore unable to change the layout of the building and there is simply no way to make the room any bigger. We hope that parents can understand that we are limited to how that cloakroom is organised as we share the facility with the ‘Newlaithes Kids Club’. The size and volume of the Kids Club children are far greater than ours and so their requirements must come first! We ask for parents’ patience and understanding at times when they have to queue to come in – there are a greater number of children enrolled at Roundabout now than earlier on in the year and queueing can’t be avoided! We are aware that there are sometimes issues around access due to buggies/prams – again we ask for understanding – we’ve all been the flustered one trying to manoeuvre a buggy in and out of a building and I would never ask anyone to leave babies/toddlers outside unattended. To ease congestion I have previously suggested that it is no problem at all to filter in between 9 and 9.20.am.

The ‘Memories and Achievements’ file was also mentioned a few times – some parents do not feel that they regularly input/ know how to have an input in children’s files. The files are grouped in boxes, in key person groups and we would actively encourage you to take your child’s file home as often as you would like to (please just make sure it comes back!). It’s really important that you do sign and comment please, so that we can prove that you have seen them! All of our staff work really hard on updating their children’s files to share with you on how we challenge our children to progress, and we really value having family input within them. I’m sure you can appreciate that we are working under huge time constraints in the morning (we have approximately 15 minutes to ensure that the portacabin is safe and set up to use for our children in the morning), so if you spot that we have forgotten to put out the files, then please just tell us – we won’t be offended!

Several families told us that they were unsure as to what the setting’s Child Protection Policy is - in response to this a copy of all our Policies and Procedures will be out on the communication table every morning for parents and carers to have a look at should they wish. If you do not drop off at the beginning of session and would like to read through a copy of our Policies and Procedures please ask a member of staff and we will be happy to provide you with a copy. Roundabout’s Policies and Procedures can also be found on the Pre-school’s website.

When it comes to all matters of Safeguarding (including Child Protection), the named Safeguarding Lead is me (Kate), with Carrie stepping into that role on days when I am not on-site.

As a general point, the majority of parents who come into setting regularly will know that Maren Swift (our Business Manager, who handles all things finance), does not work on site. If you have a query about your invoice amount then Maren can be contacted by email: roundaboutplaygroup@yahoo.co.uk

The Role of the Committee – As a registered charity, Roundabout has to be run by a voluntary committee. The committee make all important decisions about finance, staffing and policies and procedures. As leader, I work closely with the committee to ensure the smooth running of Roundabout and very much appreciate the time and effort they give for free to Roundabout. If you would like to become involved with the committee (we are always looking for more parent volunteers) please speak to me, or another member of staff and we can put you in touch.

I would also like to reiterate to all parents that I am always available to speak to (and in my absence Carrie would be available) about any comments or concerns you would like to raise. I do need to safeguard the door while children are coming in but if you would like to talk in private we can arrange a time to do this – either after all of the children have come in or at a time that suits you. We very much operate an open-door policy at Roundabout, you are welcome to stay in setting to chat with your key person.

And lastly, we all had a good old chuckle at the children’s suggestions for how we could improve and we will respond accordingly!!

Thanks again for to all parent and carers who have given us their opinions.

Our Staff

Adele

I am Adele and I am manager at Roundabout. I am currently qualified as a level 5 in childcare and management, my previous experience of 24 years has always been in full day care.
Out of the setting I spend a lot of time with my family outdoors, a hobby of mine is doing cross stitch (needle work).

Carrie

I am Carrie and I am Assistant to the Pre-School Manager at Roundabout. I have one son.
I have worked at Roundabout for over twelve years.

Claire

My name is Claire, I am married with one teenage son. I love animals and I have adopted many! In my free time I like to travel.

Debbie

I am Debbie and I have worked at Roundabout for twelve years.
I have three children and a dog called Skye. I enjoy walking and going to the theatre and concerts.

Annie

My name is Annie. I have two beautiful children. I started at Roundabout in February 2014. I enjoy dancing and being daft.

Sarah

I am married and have two children.
I have worked at Roundabout since 1992.
Out of pre-school I like to bake and cook and watch my son play Rugby on a Sunday morning. I also enjoy knitting (but not very good at it).

Kay

I am Kay and I have a little girl at Roundabout. I have just successfully completed my Level 3 Cache Childcare Course. I enjoy baking, arts and crafts with my children and walking our dog.